In a parking lot against a pale blue sky and dark blue metal wall, two young women laugh and smile while one sits inside of a shopping cart while the other pushes the cart.

July 29, 2021

What Matters for Living a Fulfilling Life

The June American Perspectives Survey offers some clues as to what Americans believe is truly necessary for living a full and rewarding life. Continue Reading →

Just-married couple gets off a party bus while bridal party celebrates them

July 20, 2021

Can Married Men and Women be Friends? Marriage, Friendship, and Loneliness

The time we invest on our relationships, whether it is with a partner, spouse, or a friend, is likely the most important thing we can do to ensure a long, healthy, and fulfilling life. Continue Reading →

Silhouette of a young man standing outside an apartment window

July 6, 2021

American Men Suffer a Friendship Recession

Declining religious involvement, lower marriage rates, and changes in the workplace may be creating a surge of disconnection.

After a prolonged period of social isolation, Americans are dusting off their social calendars. But as Americans try to rebuild and reconnect, a new survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life finds that the social landscape is far less favorable than it once was. Continue Reading →

A young man sits alone on a bench while reading a book.

June 29, 2021

Men’s Social Circles are Shrinking

As the pandemic recedes, the American economy will recover. Most businesses will adapt, evolve, and ultimately thrive. The future of American social life looks much bleaker. Continue Reading →

COVID-19 vaccination stickers sit in waiting during the Columbus Public Health drop-in clinic at Stonewall Columbus in the Short

June 29, 2021

Peer Pressure, Not Politics, May Matter Most When it Comes to Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

Americans experience widely different levels of social pressure to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And for better or worse, our friends exercise considerable influence over the information we have and the decisions we make. Continue Reading →

An older man sits on a bench in a park as a group of young runners go by.

June 23, 2021

Is Social Isolation Hampering the Vaccine Rollout?

Americans who are socially disconnected report far lower vaccination rates and may ultimately prove to be an important impediment. Continue Reading →

A word bubble the words Talk Always Known Friend and Year appear the largest.

June 8, 2021

What Does it Mean to be a Best Friend?

American friendships have come under considerable stress over the past year, but even in the wake of a global pandemic, most Americans still have at least one close friend. In fact, 87 percent of Americans have one or more close friends. These close friendships are critical to our wellbeing. Americans who have a close friendship Continue Reading →

3 friends having coffee time on a terrace

June 8, 2021

The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss

Findings from the May 2021 American Perspectives Survey

The May 2021 American Perspectives Survey finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support. Continue Reading →

Photo of a couple holding up a gay pride flag

May 13, 2021

Why Public Support for Transgender Rights is Likely to Grow

Public understanding of transgender policies will increasingly be informed not by news reports or political rhetoric, but through personal interactions with the people immediately affected by them. Continue Reading →

Photo of older women participating in a climate change protest

February 8, 2021

If You Have a Lot of Friends, You’re Probably More Active in Politics

Having a robust network of friends and family may encourage us to become more active in civic and political life. Continue Reading →

Generation Uncoupled

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Generation Uncoupled: America's New Gender Divide and the Crisis of Human Connection

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Survey Reports

Daniel A. Cox
July 23, 2026

A Digital Divide in American Adolescence: Gender, Class, and the New Teenage Experience

If teenage years once represented a time of rebellion, teenagers’ lives today are marked less by pushing boundaries and more by building their own. Many teenage experiences are less common than they once were—dating, working a part-time job, and experimenting with drugs and alcohol are less common experiences. The 2026 American Teenagers Survey from the Continue Reading →

Daniel A. Cox, Jae Grace, Avery Shields
April 27, 2026

Strangers Next Door: The Decline of Neighborhood Socializing and the Class Divide in Belonging

Acknowledgment The American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life is grateful to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its generous support of this research. As Americans spend more of their time online, the neighborhood—once a primary physical location for real-world socialization—is playing less of a central role than ever before. Since Continue Reading →